The 10 worst-rated airport lounges in Spain and Portugal, and where to go instead

Spain and Portugal do not have a terrible lounge problem. They have a mediocre lounge problem, which in some ways is more annoying: most rooms near the bottom score around 3, are run by the airport rather than an airline, and come with a self-serve drinks counter, a cold buffet and too many people at peak. The one genuinely bad room is in Lisbon. After that, the ranking is mostly a question of which ordinary lounge is slightly more ordinary than the next.

How I picked them: I started from every lounge we have rated in the two countries, kept only open lounges with an overall score built on at least eight rated metrics, broke ties on overall score and then on the weakest individual metrics, and dropped anything without a photo on the site, because a list page needs one. It matters a lot here, as I explain near the end. Scores are our editorial ratings, explained in our methodology.

Portugal: the ANA lounges are the weak point

Portugal's airports are run by ANA, and ANA runs its own pay-in lounges at Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Madeira. They are the lounges that Priority Pass and DragonPass members end up in, and they are the reason Portugal is over-represented at the top of this list.

1. ANA Lounge, Lisbon — 1.8. The worst-rated lounge in either country by a distance. It is big, around 900 m² on Floor 6 of Terminal 1 near Gate 22, airside but before passport control, so it takes Schengen and non-Schengen passengers alike. That is the problem: it is the main contract lounge at a very busy airport, and it rates 1 out of 5 for crowding, quiet, restrooms, showers and workspace. Wi-Fi (4) is the one thing that works. Showers cost extra, stays are capped at three hours, and non-Schengen passengers still have to clear the border afterwards. If you have a Star Alliance Gold card or a TAP business ticket, use TAP Premium Lounge Tejo instead, rated 3.1. If you only have Priority Pass, I have no better answer for you at Lisbon: neither TAP lounge takes it.

2. ANA Lounge, Porto — 2.9. A calmer room than Lisbon's, on Floor 3 next to gates 31-32, with good runway views (4) and Portuguese wine and port on the self-serve counter. It loses points for crowding, exclusivity and restrooms, and the restroom score has a specific cause: the lounge is being renovated in 2026, stays open during the works, and its own toilets are closed, so guests are sent to the public ones on Floor 0. The rating reflects the lounge as it is during that work; I would expect it to move once the renovation is finished. There is no other lounge at Porto on our site, so there is no alternative to suggest.

Faro would have taken two places in the top five. Both of its Schengen and non-Schengen ANA lounges rate 2.5, with weak scores for food, power, workspace and crowding, but neither has a photo on the site yet, so they sit outside the numbered list.

Lisbon's airline lounges: better, not good

4. TAP Premium Lounge Atlântico, Lisbon — 3.0. Opened in 2024 for TAP's flights to the Americas, Africa and the UK, with cork and tile design and only about 380 m². It is actually quiet (4) and rarely crowded (4), so this is not a bad room to sit in. It scores 1 for views and 2 for restrooms, and food and drinks both score 3, which is thin for an airline's long-haul lounge. It is the only lounge after the border in Terminal 1, so there is nothing better on the non-Schengen side.

8. TAP Premium Lounge Tejo, Lisbon — 3.1. TAP's flagship, with a staffed bar, hot Portuguese dishes and views over the apron and runway that score 5. Quiet, restrooms and showers all score 2, and reviewers report queues for the showers at peaks. It is still the best lounge on the Schengen side, which tells you something about Lisbon. See the Lisbon leaderboard.

Spain: Aena's middle of the road

Aena runs almost every lounge in Spain under the Sala VIP name, and they are remarkably consistent: self-serve drinks, a cold and warm buffet, a three-hour cap, and access for Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass and alliance elites. Ten more Aena rooms at island and regional airports rate between 2.9 and 3.1 and would be on this list if they had photos (more on that below).

3. Sala VIP Mediterráneo, Palma — 2.9. Module C, Level 0, open 05:00 to midnight. Threes almost everywhere, with 2s for crowding and exclusivity, which on a summer Saturday at Palma means exactly what you think. If you are flying outside Schengen, the Sala VIP Llevant in Module A rates 3.3 and takes the same cards; it was renovated in 2025 but closes from November to late March. Sala VIP Mestral in Module B rates 3.1 but only takes DragonPass. The Palma leaderboard has the rest.

5. Sala VIP Pau Casals, Barcelona T1 — 3.0. Barcelona's main Schengen lounge, on a mezzanine above gates A to C. Seating, restrooms, cleanliness and workspace all score 4; food, power, crowding and exclusivity score 2. There is nothing better rated in Terminal 1: the shuttle lounge, Sala VIP Colomer, and the landside Premium VIP Lounge have too few ratings to compare.

6. Sala VIP Joan Miró, Barcelona T1 — 3.0. The non-Schengen counterpart at gates D and E. Good seating, workspace and showers (4 each), weak drinks and views (2). Priority Pass lists shorter hours (06:00 to 21:00) than Aena does, so late-evening UK departures should check before relying on it. No better option after passport control. Barcelona leaderboard.

7. Sala VIP Costa del Sol, Málaga — 3.0. Behind duty free in T3 near the D gates. Cleaner (4) and with better Wi-Fi (4) than most Aena rooms, but crowding and exclusivity score 2, and Priority Pass notes that access may be restricted at peak times. It is the only lounge we list at Málaga, so there is no alternative.

Madrid: the photo rule reaches the good lounges

The method produces an odd result here, and I would rather say so. Twenty-three eligible lounges in Spain and Portugal rate 3.5 or lower, but only eight of them have photos on the site. To fill ten places, the list has to reach into Madrid, where the lounges are genuinely good. The two below are here because they are the lowest-rated photographed lounges left, not because anyone should avoid them.

9. Iberia Emerald Lounge Sorolla, Madrid T4 — 4.2. Opened in September 2026 for Iberia's top tiers and oneworld Emerald members, with a staffed bar and à la carte food that both score 5. Its weakest scores are views (3) and a handful of 4s. Next door, the Iberia Premium Lounge Dalí rates 4.7 and admits Emerald members too, so on our numbers it is the stronger choice.

10. Sala VIP Puerta del Sol, Madrid T3 — 4.3. Above gate E81, with 5s for food, drinks, seating and crowding. Coffee, service and views score 3. Sala VIP Puerta de Alcalá in neighbouring Terminal 2, near gate D62, rates 4.6, is open around the clock and takes the same Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass and SkyTeam access. See the Madrid leaderboard.

What was left out

Without photos, these would have ranked in the top ten: both Faro ANA lounges (2.5), Sala VIP Cap des Falcó at Ibiza, Sala VIP Guacimeta at Lanzarote and Sala VIP Valldemossa at Palma (all 2.9), and the Canary Islands rooms at Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife Norte (all 3.0). Valencia, Seville, Menorca, Santiago and Madeira's ANA lounge follow at 3.1 to 3.5.

Too few ratings to rank: Barcelona's Premium VIP Lounge and Sala VIP Colomer, Alicante's Sala VIP Costa Blanca, Tenerife Sur's Sala VIP Montaña Roja and Bilbao's Sala VIP Urdaibai all show low scores, but from only two rated metrics each. Bilbao's Nervión, Barcelona's Canudas in T2 and Madrid's Altitude Lounge have fewer than eight. No spas, sleep pods or restaurant credits needed excluding.

For other countries in the series, see France and the Benelux, Italy and Greece and the Europe-wide list.